37 research outputs found
Toward ab initio density functional theory for nuclei
We survey approaches to nonrelativistic density functional theory (DFT) for
nuclei using progress toward ab initio DFT for Coulomb systems as a guide. Ab
initio DFT starts with a microscopic Hamiltonian and is naturally formulated
using orbital-based functionals, which generalize the conventional
local-density-plus-gradients form. The orbitals satisfy single-particle
equations with multiplicative (local) potentials. The DFT functionals can be
developed starting from internucleon forces using wave-function based methods
or by Legendre transform via effective actions. We describe known and
unresolved issues for applying these formulations to the nuclear many-body
problem and discuss how ab initio approaches can help improve empirical energy
density functionals.Comment: 69 pages, 16 figures, many revisions based on feedback. To appear in
Progress in Particle and Nuclear Physic